The President’s FY 2018 budget request for Department of State and USAID foreign assistance in the South Asia region is $220.8 million. Specifically for USAID, this budget request supports activities in Bangladesh, Nepal, and India—three vastly different countries in their stage of development and the challenges they face. The budget request reflects the imperative to direct foreign assistance investments to approaches that have the greatest impact and are cost effective in advancing U.S. national security objectives, asserting U.S. leadership, and fostering economic opportunities for the American people, while working in partnership with these countries to achieve their development goals.

Development plays an indispensable role, alongside diplomacy and defense, in advancing U.S. national security and economic interests. With less than 1 percent of the fiscal year (FY) 2018 discretionary budget request, USAID’s programs help reduce poverty and promote economic growth, strengthen democratic institutions, and avert crises worldwide. Our efforts bolster self-reliance in developing countries, which helps them forge sustainable paths of progress that benefit us all by building stronger trade and security partners and a more peaceful world. When it comes to Asia, a region of the world whose security and economies are intimately intertwined with our own, the region’s success directly impacts U.S. national security and economic interests. As the most populous, fastest-growing region in the world, Asia is one of the main drivers of the global economy and is hugely consequential to our own future. Asia is a leading destination for U.S. exports, which support some 3.4 million U.S. jobs. Vietnam is the fastest-growing market for U.S. exports in the entire world. By 2030, Asia will be home to more than half the world’s consumer class and account for more than 40 percent of global GDP. Half of the next billion people added to the world will be in Asia. Asia’s untapped, and growing, market potential presents tremendous opportunity to create U.S. jobs and support regional and global prosperity.

In many ways, the Europe and Eurasia region is a USAID success story. The region as a whole has undergone an historic transformation in the short time since the collapse of communism. Young countries have overcome tremendous social, political, and economic hurdles to chart a new course for their citizens, guided by free markets and democratic principles. Of 24 original partner countries, half have graduated from USAID assistance and have successfully joined the Euro-Atlantic community through institutions such as NATO and the European Union (EU). Many of these countries are now among our closest allies and have become important trade partners. U.S. exports to these graduates have had a fivefold increase in twenty years, growing from over $2 billion in 1995 to over $10 billion in 2015. This rate exceeds the growth of U.S. exports worldwide. These countries are thriving, and many have become donor countries themselves. USAID is a proud partner to this change.

When it comes to Central Asia, a region of the world especially vulnerable to instability and economic shocks, development success is vital. A secure, stable, prosperous Central Asia is in the U.S. national interest. Successfully achieving these objectives means the region is a more effective partner in countering the violent extremism that exerts an increasing pull over Central Asians. It means Central Asia is more capable of resisting Russian pressure and countering Russian disinformation—for example, through enhanced trade relationships in the region and beyond, as well as through better access to independent sources of information. It means helping to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan through increased trade and energy linkages, and closer people-to-people ties. And it means Central Asia is more effective at containing its rampant and deadly tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, which undermines global health security and disrupts economic productivity.

Global donors continue to be confronted this year with major humanitarian crises around the world, which demand an immediate, substantial, and collaborative response. The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network, or FEWS NET, warned early on that 2017 would see an unprecedented 81 million people across 45 countries in need of emergency food assistance, largely due to persistent conflict, severe drought and economic instability. South Sudan experienced famine earlier this year and three other countries—Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen—face the threat of famine, putting a combined 20 million people at risk of severe hunger or starvation. In terms of scale, more than twice the populations of New York City and Washington, D.C. combined are at risk. Over the past year, I have traveled to some of these countries and others facing severe food insecurity to see firsthand the situation on the ground. Today I want to share with you more about the ongoing crises in these countries, what we and others in the international community are doing to respond, and the challenges these countries face.

The Global Food Security Act sent a clear message that the United States is committed to addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger by equipping people with the tools to feed themselves. Feed the Future, guided by the Global Food Security Strategy, is leveraging investment from partner countries and the private sector to reduce reliance on humanitarian aid, promote American prosperity, deliver results, and build stability around the world. What began as the U.S. Government response to the 2008 global food crisis under President George W. Bush, led to a mobilized commitment and investment from other donors and countries in targeted, long-term food security solutions. These efforts continue today in many of the world’s most vulnerable countries, including those faced with the specter of famine and insecurity.

USAID supports U.S. national security interests, promotes American prosperity, and advances American leadership by helping our partners recover from conflict, foster stability, and promote inclusive governance and economic growth.

With this request, we will continue to work with our international partners and those in the region to prioritize mutually identified areas of need that advance U.S. national security goals.

As Acting Assistant Secretary Jones noted, the crises in the region have a direct impact on U.S. national security and economic prosperity. The programs that USAID implements, with your continuing oversight and support, enhance regional security, resilience, and prosperity – benefits that are directly connected with American national security and prosperity.

USAID programs in Latin America and the Caribbean play a critical role in our national security. Our efforts in the region promote security and prosperity in the United States and the Western Hemisphere by providing alternatives to youth at risk for violence and illegal migration; giving rural farmers an alternative to coca cultivation; strengthening governments’ ability to combat crime and disrupt transnational criminal organizations that traffic in drugs, weapons, and people; supporting transparent and accountable governance and anti-corruption efforts; and creating an economic environment in which the private sector can flourish, create jobs, and open markets for American businesses.

USAID has done amazing work over the past 55 years, but we can and must do even better. If confirmed, I commit to consulting with you when there are hard decisions, and working side-by-side to strengthen the Agency. Mr. Chairman, I believe that USAID is an asset to our national security and the global face of American generosity. With your support for my confirmation, I commit to working with the talented men and women of USAID to build up what is working, change what is not, and deliver an Agency that is even stronger and more effective tomorrow than the one that exists today.

In 2017, we are confronted with major humanitarian crises around the world, which demand that the world provide an immediate, substantial, and creative response. The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network, or FEWS NET, has warned that this year an unprecedented 70 million people across 45 countries will be in need of emergency food assistance, largely driven by persistent conflict, severe drought and economic instability.